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Dozens sue ICE over excessive force
Dozens of Minnesotans are suing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for excessive force. FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has more.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Minneapolis man is suing ICE, saying agents used excessive force when they arrested him during protests earlier this year.
Minneapolis man, others sue ICE after immigration crackdown
What we know:
Dave Tauer said he was pulled from his truck and arrested by ICE agents on Jan. 24 while trying to get to protests after Alex Pretti’s shooting death.
"I just remember what went through my head when they were pulling me out of the car was just that idea of, ‘Oh, shoot. This is really happening,’" he recalled.
Tauer said agents dragged him out of his white pickup and threw him to the ground.
"Once I was on the ground, and they started punching me in the back of the head, it was just kind of – just surprising," he said. "I mean, my head bounced off the pavement, so I had a black eye for a couple of weeks."
Later that day, Tauer appeared in a post on ICE’s X page, where the agency labeled him as one of several "violent agitators."
"[ICE] Tried to claim that I hit a federal officer with my truck, which I knew was completely made up," he said.
Legal battle could take a decade: attorney
More details:
Tauer is one of about 80 people now suing ICE after the immigration crackdown.
"They were innocent bystanders, and they were detained and, in some cases, you know, beaten up, roughed up, yanked out of their cars," said attorney James Cook, who represents Tauer and dozens of others suing ICE.
Cook said the process of identifying those responsible is complicated.
"You don’t always know who the defendants are, right? Because they had their faces covered," he said.
Cook said his firm plans to announce the first wave of lawsuits on Thursday. He said the legal battle could last for years, possibly even a decade.
The other side:
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.